We investigate how two Mavericks guards make a far greater impact on the team than their contract or experience might suggest.
DALLAS - The Dallas Mavericks are still without All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving as he rehabs a torn ACL suffered in March.
His return could be in the next month or so, but in the 30 games he's missed to begin the 2025-26 season, the Mavs have felt the brunt of his absence.
Dallas sits 11-19, showing some promising hints of competitiveness that balance out with frustrating efficiency numbers and immaturity in crunch-time situations.
The bright spots are top rookie Cooper Flagg, who has lived up to every billing he's received since being drafted first overall, and Anthony Davis, who continues to show that he's a superstar when healthy.
Elsewhere? The Mavs have found surprising production from two unsung heroes who have had to fill the void in the backcourt with Irving out: fourth-year guard Brandon Williams and two-way undrafted rookie Ryan Nembhard.
They each earned a spot on ESPN's "All-Value Team" for their vital contributions as players who are not considered stars on their team, notably through their minimal career experience or low contract compensation.
Dallas was one of three teams to have two representatives. Fifteen players were named in total to spotlight "those difference-makers who are far outplaying their contracts as their teams chase the postseason."
Front-office insider Bobby Marks notes Williams' improved play from the second half of last season that has guided him into this strong start.
"After Luka Doncic was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in February, and Kyrie Irving tore his ACL in March, Williams' minutes nearly tripled from 8.4 to 23.4, with the now-26-year-old guard averaging a career high 14.6 points and 54.8% shooting across 14 games," Marks recalled.
This season, Mavs coach Jason Kidd has continued giving Williams minutes at a career-best clip. He is averaging 22.2 minutes of playing time and using that action to score 10.8 points and 4.1 assists.
Williams is an unrestricted free agent this summer after his $2.3 million contract expires at the end of the season, but since he's been in Dallas for at least three years, the Mavs are able to go beyond the salary cap and apron restrictions in order to re-sign him before he hits the open market.
Having grown a tight-knit relationship with Irving because of their comparable slashing abilities, Dallas could be interested in keeping the speedy guard as a prodigy of Irving's to develop and ultimately use next to Flagg in a future built around the phenom forward.
Another player worth investing in is Nembhard, who more resembles the Hall-of-Famer Kidd's former playing style as a savvy pass-first floor general.
"Jason Kidd turned to the undrafted Gonzaga guard on Nov. 28. Dallas has gone 6-4 since, with Nembhard becoming one of the few rookies this season with three games of double-digit assists," Marks said.
Nembhard has been great in his minutes as the starting point guard, averaging 11.6 points and 6.9 assists with only 1.8 turnovers in his 20 minutes of playing time per game. Because he's signed to a two-way deal that splits time with the NBA G-League, however, he only has 25 more NBA games remaining on Dallas' active roster.
"The Mavericks could convert Nembhard's deal to a standard prorated veteran minimum exception for up to two seasons," says Marks, "but they would need to open a roster spot and create more room below the second apron. They currently have the maximum 15 players under contract and are $1.3 million below the apron."
The soonest Dallas can make a move like that is Jan. 6, but due to the value we've seen Nembhard present in such a short time, it's a no brainer move once it's viable. Veteran guard Dante Exum would likely be the odd man out on the 15-player roster as he plays the same position and is out for the season with a knee injury.
Flagg has rightfully earned a lot of publicity for his Rookie of the Year-level play thus far, but its from players like Williams and Nembhard that Dallas has gotten the most out of its roster amid this tumultuous start to the season.